Chapter 78: New Human Alliance (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: New Human Alliance (8)
Lee Ru-da sat in the situation room, tapping her desk anxiously.
She was waiting for word from Cheonlian, her eyes fixed on the internet browser as she constantly hit the refresh button.
The hero was called Cheonlian because she could find anyone, anywhere in the world, but the skill wasn't as omnipotent as it sounded; the conditions and process were quite demanding. She had to find traces of energy, which she called "clues," from objects the target had owned.
Ru-da didn't know how many clues there were, but Cheonlian had to gather every single one of them to finally see the target.
Cheonlian, who had entered Jeong Yeon-woo’s empty house, had recently sent word that she was ninety percent finished. Normally, it wouldn't have taken this long.
'It’s strange. There’s almost none of Jeong Yeon-woo’s energy here because he has no attachment to his belongings. It feels like someone just staying in another person's room for a bit. Are you sure he lived here? There’s almost no residual consciousness.'
Ru-da had been puzzled by Cheonlian’s report. Jeong Yeon-woo had lived there ever since he joined Break Line.
‘Did he just not go home often...?’
She had no right to interfere in his lifestyle, and since Jeong Yeon-woo had only recently come into the spotlight, his past was a mystery. She could only guess that his working hours at the clan weren't long, considering Break Line only used him for recruitment and didn't give him many tasks.
‘Maybe he had a girlfriend.’
A man not going home often usually meant there was a woman he was close enough to live with. Since she hadn't felt the need to investigate his private life, Ru-da pushed the thought aside and stared intensely at the monitor.
That wasn't what mattered right now. She had to safely rescue the Square Garden hero kidnapped by the villains.
As she anxiously refreshed social media and news sites, one photo caught her eye.
The photo, titled "Doomsday," showed a crimson sky. Amidst the distant blue, an ominous red sky had formed a circular shape as if the gates of hell had opened. Ru-da bolted upright and shouted to the staff in the situation room.
"Trace the location of this photo, now!"
Jeong Yeon-woo was faster than Cheonlian.
Ru-da had seen that red sky once before when Jeong Yeon-woo showed it to her as a test. She immediately mobilized the heroes.
The busy staff traced the location through the photo and contacted the uploader to estimate the coordinates. A map appeared on the large screen covering the wall.
Staring at the red dot on the map, Ru-da spoke to a staff member.
"Send the coordinates to the Delivery Man and tell him to open a gate."
Ru-da pulled on the gloves she had left on the desk and walked out of the situation room.
A hero from another clan, nicknamed "Delivery Man," who had come to provide support, saw Ru-da approaching and created a massive teleportation gate beside him.
"Please look after our Cheol-woo as well, Clan Leader."
"If he's there, I will make sure he's rescued."
Her party, Square, and the Queen Bee party led by Song Ha-el entered the gate, their teeth gritted in determination.
Upon teleporting, the first thing they saw was a block of ice exploding in front of a building.
With the spectacular shards of ice as a backdrop, Jeong Yeon-woo trudged out and sank to his knees.
"You still haven't lost your spirit? Nothing else to show me? Your 'condensed milk' antics were quite entertaining."
Some crazy woman crawled up from the ground and approached Jeong Yeon-woo. She was a villain Ru-da recognized as an executive of the New Human Alliance.
"Then let me entertain you instead."
Ru-da spoke as she walked forward. Madam tried to say something, but Ru-da didn't even listen before slamming a fist into her face.
BOOM—!
After sending Madam flying with a satisfying impact, Ru-da locked eyes with Jeong Yeon-woo, who was being held by Song Ha-el.
His gaze didn't say "thank God I'm saved." Instead, it looked as if he were asking why the backup was so late. He wasn't radiating the aura of a victim being rescued, but rather someone who had just finished an operation.
"..."
Despite his battered body, his gaze remained firm and unwavering. Ru-da was the one to look away first.
"Sweep them all up."
Square Garden’s maximum force had been deployed, but there wasn't much for them to do. More than half of the people in the building had already been neutralized. On the top floor, there were only traces of battle and corpses; no one was left standing.
The rescue operation ended so easily it was almost embarrassing for the heroes who had come ready for blood.
The men in the basement had been barricaded in a hallway, staging a sit-in. When the heroes identified themselves as Square Garden, the men rejoiced, and everyone was rescued without issue.
Seeing the neutralized members of the New Human Alliance, the men praised the heroes for being incredible, but the women felt awkward since they hadn't actually done much.
"Did Jeong Yeon-woo really take them all down?"
"I heard earlier that there were villains cooperating with him. But there's no one here?"
Hornet, Park So-won, and the others who had helped Jeong Yeon-woo had fled using teleportation items as soon as Square Garden arrived. The fact that villains had helped would remain internal Square Garden information, shared with the government for potential plea bargains—but that was only if they were ever caught.
The heroes tilted their heads in confusion as they easily secured the building.
As soon as news spread that the rescue operation had begun, no reinforcements from the New Human Alliance arrived. Instead, more heroes and support troops poured in through gates, followed by nearby military units and other clans. The area around the building soon swarmed with people.
"Hero Jeong Yeon-woo saved us!"
One of the men, looking haggard as he boarded a security vehicle, shouted to the gathered reporters.
Cameras swiveled instantly. The shouting man was told to calm down by a government agent before being ushered into the vehicle.
The next day, the news was plastered with Jeong Yeon-woo’s name.
[The Hero Who Saved the Men in Crisis is Jeong Yeon-woo?!]
[Jeong Yeon-woo Delivers a Blow to the New Human Alliance]
[Kidnapping? The New Human Alliance Dragged a Lion into Their Den and Got Mauled by Jeong Yeon-woo]
Song Cheol-woo, a B-rank hero and one of the men held by the New Human Alliance, stood before a press conference as their representative. News of the unprecedented "Sperm Factory" had spread worldwide, and Song Cheol-woo explained everything that had happened in detail on behalf of the embarrassed men.
"This is a difficult question to ask, but... was there any rape or other sexual harassment?"
A reporter from a tabloid, feigning politeness, brought up the issue that was causing a heated debate online.
However, Song Cheol-woo replied with a calm face.
"No, there was none. They wanted sperm for fertilization... we were merely livestock to them."
If he hadn't used the word "livestock," he might have been able to shut the internet's mouth completely, but Song Cheol-woo’s answer left a bit to be desired. Still, since he firmly stated that nothing of the sort happened, people could only whisper in the shadows; they couldn't say it openly.
After taking several more questions, Song Cheol-woo looked into the camera for his final statement.
"We were all saved by Hero Jeong Yeon-woo. And we thank Square Garden as well. No matter what path Hero Jeong Yeon-woo takes in the future, I, Song Cheol-woo, will always support and help him."
Song Cheol-woo spoke toward the camera, knowing Jeong Yeon-woo would be watching, and then stood up.
Leaving the noisy clicking of shutters behind, Song Cheol-woo hugged the Delivery Man and left the conference hall.
Lying in a hospital bed after being rescued, I turned off my smartphone as I watched Song Cheol-woo leave.
Man, he didn't have to go that far.
Song Cheol-woo’s words made my shoulders puff up with pride. With this, my stock had risen even higher. I was already one of the most watched prospects in the world, and now I was being credited with destroying a New Human Alliance sperm factory.
I looked to my side and saw Yoon A-young and Kwon Ye-jin sitting there, looking dejected. It had been a while since I'd seen them.
"Master... I'm sorry..."
"I should have protected you. It's my fault."
I beckoned the two idiots closer with a flick of my finger. After flicking both of them on the forehead, I shook my stinging hand and spoke.
"What you did wrong was trying to protect me in that situation."
"..."
"Kwon Ye-jin, fine. You're a Defender, so you might rush in to protect me since my stats are low. But Yoon A-young, you shouldn't have. You're an Attacker. In any situation, you must avoid danger and be ready to fight."
At my words, Yoon A-young hung her head in gloom. Kwon Ye-jin glanced at me and spoke up.
"But, she did it because she was worried about you, Master..."
"Kwon Ye-jin."
"..."
"You didn't use your skills because you were only focused on me, right? Don't forget that you're a Defender. What's the point of having protection skills if you can't use them in an emergency? I told you repeatedly to use them as naturally as breathing, didn't I?"
Under my storm of nagging, Kwon Ye-jin also lowered her head. After giving them a few more pieces of my mind, I patted their lowered heads one after the other.
"Thanks, though. Because of you two, I was able to snap out of it during that accident."
"Master..."
Kwon Ye-jin looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"We just have to keep improving. As we climb higher, we'll become more famous, and things like this will happen all the time. We can't let ourselves be humiliated like this every time. Let's crush anyone who looks down on us and comes picking a fight."
"I get it! Just trust me! I'll block anyone who targets you, Master."
"It's not just me. They might target you or Yoon A-young. They might target new members or our party as a whole. Whoever it is, we'll move forward by taking down anyone who comes after us."
Yoon A-young’s eyes also gleamed at my words. It was good to see the look of firm determination on their faces.
"Oppa... You..."
"Just call me Oppa like you used to. It's about time."
When I smiled, Yoon A-young’s face turned bright red, and she looked away.
"Hey, that's cheating! Let me call you Oppa too, Master."
"You're older than me, Ye-jin."
"Then Nuna? Hehe... It might be nice if you called me Nuna?"
"I'll call you that whenever you do a good job."
Leaving Kwon Ye-jin to her antics, Yoon A-young spoke in a small voice.
"Oppa... Hmmm. Oppa, you're amazing. Even after suffering such harsh treatment, you didn't lose heart and kept fighting. You're like the hero I dreamed of when I was a kid."
"Exactly. Master is truly incredible. You're the textbook definition of an unyielding hero."
Kwon Ye-jin nodded in agreement with A-young.
Harsh treatment?
I thought back to my time with the New Human Alliance.
'Haaaah! Ahhh! It's too big...!'
'Ah, aaaaah! Ah, I can't... Hyaaaah, I can't live without you anymore...!'
I remembered Park So-won doing squats on top of me, Kim Hye-yun moaning beneath me, and Hornet’s dazed, ecstatic face.
Was that 'harsh treatment'...?
I did get beaten up by Madam at the end, but my memories of that week were mostly of having a blast with over a dozen women.
Well—it’s good if they respect me as their leader. They’ll listen to me better in dungeons.
"Oh, seriously. My mom kept calling me to ask where you were! She kept scolding me, asking what I was doing there as a Defender. I thought I was going crazy."
Kwon Ye-jin told me about what happened while I was captured. Talking with the two of them for a long time made me feel better. Yoon A-young, who was no longer awkward around me, spoke easily, and Kwon Ye-jin’s stories about her family were always entertaining.
After losing track of time talking, they left, saying they’d be back tomorrow. After telling them to go train instead, I lay back down on the bed.
Even though it was a hospital, this place specialized in managing heroes. Not only was it heavily guarded, but it was also protected by barriers; patients couldn't leave without permission. This meant no one could easily kidnap me, even if they broke through the perimeter.
The men rescued from the New Human Alliance who needed recovery were all admitted here, and I was even given a private room.
"It's impressive that you managed to sneak past such security."
I spoke toward the window. Hornet, who was hanging onto the window frame, looked at me as if she were exasperated.
"How did you know?"
"You're hanging there in plain sight. Who wouldn't see you?"
"You were looking at the window before I even got here. Like you were waiting for me."
"Skills that compress air aren't exactly common."
"Ha, so my skill finally got figured out. I'll have to be careful."
"No, I'm the only one who knows. And I have no intention of telling anyone."
"...That's even scarier."
Perched on the windowsill, Hornet grumbled with a frown.
"I assume everyone escaped safely."
"Yeah. I came as the representative to say a final goodbye. Muscle was pretty disappointed that you're stuck in such a heavily guarded place."
Unless it was Hornet, who was capable of aerial maneuvers, no one could have infiltrated without being seen. Hornet stared at me with her blue eyes.
"Want to do it?"
"Dammit, why do you always say things like that when I'm trying to set the mood? There's no time for that."
"I thought you'd like it..."
"Why would I... Ugh... fine, I admit it, but there really isn't time. I'm glad to see you're healthy. I'm leaving."
Hornet pulled her trademark hat down low and climbed onto the windowsill.
"Come find me later when things quiet down and you're in the mood."
"..."
"Bring Park So-won with you. I'll ride you until your mind goes blank."
With a flushed face, Hornet flipped me the middle finger and leaped from the window, vanishing.
She could've at least closed the window. How annoying.
I closed the window and used my detection to find Park So-won, who was standing far outside the barrier. I waved my hand. Park So-won, who had been staring intently at my room, smiled broadly, got kicked by Hornet, and then waved back before disappearing.
Now that the guests were gone, I was alone again.
I’d only been active as a hero for a short while, and now I was forced into another break. It was a shame, but my body was my greatest asset, so I needed to rest up before heading back out.
In the meantime, I could leisurely go over the party roster and plan out some tactics.